tell vs prescribe

tell and prescribe both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
tell	No	No	Yes	No
prescribe	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, prescribe is a hyponym of tell; that is, prescribe is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than tell:

tell: give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority
prescribe: (medicine) order the use of (a treatment, medicine, etc.), usually by written prescription

Other hyponyms of tell include direct, instruct, command, require, call, send for, warn.

tell (verb)	prescribe (verb)
discern or comprehend	issue commands or orders for
mark as different	(medicine) order the use of (a treatment, medicine, etc.), usually by written prescription
let something be known	recommend as beneficial
narrate or give a detailed account of
give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority
give evidence
express in words
inform positively and with certainty and confidence